Blossom
by OrangeFuu
Summary: The budding relationship of a hanyou and demonslayer is chronicled. Rating is there for a reason. InuSan
1. Hidden

**AN: **Okay, the deal is this: the following 30 one-shots will explore the stages of the relationship between Sango and Inuyasha. This will stretch far beyond their just realizing how they feel about each other. I'm going for the life story! These will be short, and the rating will be there for a reason. The first two will be introspective, but after that, it will read like a story. Enjoy and review if you want.

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**Blanket Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters that appear.

**Blossom**

**Stage One: **Hidden

**Inuyasha**

Wide awake. His eyes would not close, but for some reason everyone else's could. He leaned against the bark of the tree in which he sat, his head tilted back. His eyes cast upward, he stared into the starless sky, peering right into abyss of his soul: black and empty. The intangible darkness tortured him nightly, only furthering his longing for another person's touch. Her touch.

Keeping his head still, he cut his eyes down to the leaf-covered ground. With protective eyes, he watched her sleep, her chest rising in falling in rhythmic motion, her slumber suddenly rousing something within him. His heartbeat sped up a little, and his ears perked a bit; he wanted to _hear_ her breathe. Breathe for him as he breathed for her. Exist for her.

He was confident that she did not feel the same way about him, but oddly enough, he did not mind. Actually, he preferred it that way. He didn't deserve her; he had hurt too many others in the past. He had not earned the entitlement to be happy. He did not even earn the right to smile, to laugh, to be joyous. To be with her.

His attention came back when she seemed to wake, but he calmed himself when she only rolled onto her back and continued to sleep. He could see her face now, still as perfect as the first time he saw it.

Her features were flawless, a blemish wouldn't dare to mar her beauty. His insides would tremble whenever he looked at her, his body responding to her in ways that she was completely oblivious to. But while he could go on for days about her beauty, he could talk _forever_ about ... her eyes. The dark ebony of her eyes that matched her hair; he loved them the best. He mentally cursed her pink hued eyelids every time they closed and obstructed her orbs from his view, but when they pulled back, he praised them. The deep brown of her eyes entranced him, paralyzed him in their gaze, and burned into him with the occasional acidity. He welcomed and savored any stray look she gave him.

And now as he watched her body rest, he wished he could curl himself around her, warm her from the unforgiving cold of the night. She shivered and his breath hitched; he chanted to himself that she wouldn't become sick. He wouldn't dare lose such a woman to a silly cold. Damn humans. But despite her living as an inferior being, he loved her all the same. He loved her like she was the most supreme specimen; his deity. His goddess.

He could sit and think about his love all day, but he knew he could never have her, touch her, kiss her. She would always think he loved the miko, the childish human girl from the other side of the well. But she was almost correct: he did love a human... but a demonslayer, with a wonderful face and a more beautiful heart.

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**AN:** And it begins. The next one will be how Sango feels about Inuyasha. Be aware that every one-shot will not be introspective. Most will be in story format. Review if you wanna.


	2. Defiant

**AN:** Here is the next one. Enjoy.

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**Blossom**

**Stage Two: **Defiant

Sango

She stretched out her limbs and rolled over, sighing heavily in her sleep. She snuggled into the thin blanket that covered her body and sighed again. But something was wrong. Lifting a tired lid, her eyes scanned the camp. He caught her eye; he seemed to be the only one awake and not tired. His head was tilted back as he stared into the sky, seeming to be in distant thought. She watched him for a moment, and since he liked to perch himself in a tree every night, she found the sight interesting. And reminiscent.

About a month or two ago, she began to have certain recurring dreams. And these dreams casted her and a specific hanyou in the starring roles, making love to each other in any place they could find privacy. In the grass, in the hot spring, in a tree... _everywhere._ But when she woke the next morning, she felt dirty and guilty. How could she have dreams like that? How could she have those dreams about... her and Inuyasha in the most intimate of ways? Why wasn't Miroku in Inuyasha's place? Wasn't the houshi hers for the taking? Of course he was; he'd do anything to have a chance of seeing any amount of her bare skin. But why wasn't that enough?

However, it didn't matter how many times she asked herself that very question; she already knew the answer. The houshi did not interest her. She never really wanted him from the beginning. Why would she? Dealing with a oversexed man who probably wouldn't stay faithful anyway is no way to find love. She knew deep down that she deserved better; more than that monk could give her. And just enough for a dog demon to handle.

But once again, her integrity and conscience pulled her back. Despite her feelings, there was one thing that brought her back to reality: he loved the miko. Her best friend. And it was obvious Kagome loved him too, so what kind of person would she be to break that up? Besides, it was common knowledge that the two of them will eventually mate to one another, but where does that leave her? With the hentai, that's where!

She closed her eye again. It didn't matter. There was no way for them to be together anyway. He's not interested in her. She isn't perfect like Kagome. She doesn't have the beautiful skin, small frame, and inviting smile. She's just plain ol' Sango, the muscular, abnormally-strong woman with scars and callouses that destroyed the sliver of natural beauty she _did_ have. It was a tough truth to swallow, but over time, she came to accept it. And she was sure Inuyasha could see it too. At times it depressed her, but her only consolation was in the end, she _did_ have a man waiting for her. Sure, she would have to put up with his wandering ways, but she was could deal with it. She'll just beat him senseless whenever he came home smelling like another woman. It's a life she'd look forward to.

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**AN: **Oh, the sorrow! That is terrible. Next stage begins the story format. I like that much better because it's easier for me to write. Review if you like.


	3. Objective

**AN:** Nothing to say here besides this is Inuyasha's turn. Read and enjoy...

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**Blossom**

**Stage Three: **Objective

She loves the damn monk. They will probably marry, or whatever humans do. They'll have pups, or kids, or whatever humans have. They will be happy forever. It sounds so simple; but how come it isn't? Why can't I love Kagome like I'm supposed to? Why do things have to be complicated like this? I don't know; but Kami knows I wish I did.

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"Inuyasha, did you hear a word I just said?" the miko called again. "I said that we're taking a rest. Everyone is hungry. I brought ramen..."

His ears perked, taking note of the mention of food. That _always_ got his attention. "Huhn?"

"We're stopping," she repeated, letting her bag slip from her shoulder and to the ground. The weight for her backpack crunched a pile of leaves below it, and she bent down to brush the autumn remnants from the fabric. "Someone start boiling some water, please."

"I'll go," Sango volunteered, rising to her feet and brushing the dry leaves from her legs and backside. "I'll be right back." She grabbed the rusty water bucket and headed into the trees. Inuyasha watched her leave, and against his better judgment, he wordlessly followed her. He was completely aware that Kagome and Miroku saw him leave after her, but neither said a word. Apparently, they figured he went to keep her safe. Not quite.

She weaved between the tree trunks, navigating her way to the nearby stream. He knew she could tell her was following her, yet she didn't say anything. Was he suddenly not worth talking to?

The pair reached the stream, and the demon slayer knelt down on the bank. She carefully dipped the bucket under the rushing water, allowed the pail to fill and flow over. She pulled the pail from the stream, set it on the grass, and stood. Her back was to him, and she nervously tugged at the sleeve of her slayer uniform before she asked, "why did you follow me? I'm sure that I am capable of getting water by myself."

"That's not why I followed you."

She turned to him. "I gathered as much."

He took a step forward, eyes locked with hers. He emanated unprecedented confidence, even though he was trembling inside. He was nervous for what he was about to do, especially since it would come without warning, and there was no telling what she would do in response. She didn't look concerned as he neared her, in fact, gave him an annoyed look as he drew closer. But her face softened when he stopped right in front of her. "Sango..." he whispered.

"Inu --"

He kissed her. A slight pressing of the lips. It only lasted a second or two before he pulled away, but he kissed her. He took a step back and stared at the ground, his face on fire. He couldn't see that hers was too. The stunned silence became too much for him. "Sorry."

Sliding a forefinger along her bottom lip, she shook her head, her stray hairs whipping across her nose. She whispered as well. "Don't be sorry."

He lifted his head to reveal his receding blush. "What?"

She removed her hand from her lip and ran it along the side of his face. "Don't be sorry, Inuyasha. I'm not mad at you."

His eyes lit up when she closed the gap between them that he had created. "You're... not rejecting me?"

She smiled, bringing her finger down to his chin and letting it drop to her side. "No."

Relief filled him at her response, and while he could still act with confidence, wrapped an arm around her waist. She willingly stepped ever-closer. She titled her head back to stare into his face, and he bent a little to sample her lips again. This time she accommodated him, opening her mouth to allow their tongues to play. Their embrace tightened as the exhilaration flowed through them, the excitement of finally being able to taste the other's lips present in the air. He had never felt this happy before. He knew that he was finally doing something right; holding the demon slayer that had such a power over his heart. Now that he was pouring all of himself into this kiss, he could now say that she was his. And he would let nothing change that.

Softly, they pulled apart and took a moment to lock eyes. He hesitantly released her from his grip and she stepped back, flinging strands of hair behind her ear. Both took to searching for interesting leaves on the ground until Inuyasha decided to speak. "... did that mean anything to you?"

She glanced at him, then back to the ground, then to a low hanging branch. "Yes... it did. What about you?"

"Yeah. But what does that mean... for us?"

She looked at him this time. "I don't know. But I would assume that by now it's clear --"

"HEY! Where's the water? Kagome's waiting on you!" the shrill voice of Shippo rang out as he bolted into the clearing. He spotted Sango and ran to her, panting. "Kagome said to hurry up with the water. She said that Inuyasha will start whining if he doesn't get his ramen soon."

"What? What did you say?" Inuyasha growled, bending down to grab Shippo by the tail. Dangling him in the air, he whispered, "y'know, I like eating kitsune too. And I think you'll do nicely with the ramen."

"KAGOME!"

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**AN:** So close, but not close enough. Ah, maybe next time, right? Review if you want. Oh yeah... just wanted to advertise a community on LiveJournal for anyone who wants to join. It's a Sango/Inuyasha based community used for general appreciation for this couple. Drop me a line on my page so I can get you in! Search for 'orange_fuu' and you'll find me! I want to spread the greatness that is InuSan :)


	4. Wrong

**AN:** What say you, Sango? Review if you like.

**Blossom**

**Stage Four: **Wrong

The taste of him was just what I thought it'd be. His lips were so soft... his embrace so strong... he has no idea of what he's done to me. It's crazy how a moment or two can completely change two... friends. But it shouldn't have happened. Now matter how right it felt.

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That night, the tired travelers crowded around the fire, trying to warm themselves against the unusually cold air. Kagome wrapped herself within a blanket, Miroku had pulled his arms inside the sleeves of his robes, and Kirara had transformed into her larger form to warm her mistress. Sango glanced over her shoulder at Inuyasha, who sat away from the group and leaning against the trunk of a tree, a form of vegetation that he was apparently very attached to. He had his head bowed, staring at a group of pebbles he held in his hand. She knew that he was aware of her looking at him, so she turned around. She didn't want him looking at her either.

She felt bad about what happened earlier that day, and it was something that could never happen again. It shouldn't have happened the first time. Despite the feelings that it awakened within her that she forced to stay dormant, it was common knowledge among the group of friends that the hanyou belonged to the miko. And by some tragic ordination of fate, Sango would have to settle down with the lecherous monk. By all indications, she knew that he wasn't going to faithful to her by any means, but she also couldn't deny that no other man would want her. Men want delicate women, dainty and soft, not strong and muscular with skill that could surpass many weapon-wielding males. _'That's why Kagome is so sought-after,'_ she thought to herself, settling into Kirara's side. _'I'm the opposite of her, which explains why Miroku is the only man who could possibly want me. And his love for women is the only reason why he even looks at me.'_

The sad realization swept over her, causing her to sigh. It was obvious to her; she could never have the male who made her body flare with heat when he held her close and kissed her deeply. Oh, how she wanted to faint in his arms! Even now, as she thought back to what happened that very afternoon, she could still feel his strong arm around her waist, pulling her to his body. If only he knew how a few seconds of their bodies touching could stimulate a yearning that went deeper than a few thoughts. Deeper than a wish. A _longing_. A longing that called for him to look her in the eyes and whisper her name, brush his lips across hers, hold her within a tight embrace... how she longed for that.

She looked back at him once more, depressed, then she looked away again and settled into Kirara's fur. She'd be warm for the night.

Inuyasha lifted his eyes cautiously, hoping not to catch her gaze. He didn't. Her dark hair peeked over the top of Kirara's fur, and he silently wished it was him who was holding her so close. Earlier that day when he kissed her, he was filled with confidence and he didn't want to let her go. Feeling her warmth leave him only made him crave her more. He could only imagine the next time they will touch lips and if it will stop there. The electricity he felt course through him the second their lips touched made him want to kiss her all over, and if Shippo hadn't come along...

He wondered if she was feeling the same way. She had to. A small voice in the back of his mind whined about Kagome, but he tuned it out. The girl from the future was the last thing on his mind. He never committed to her; she gravitated and attached herself to him. She was not his interest and while it would hurt her to know that, he could not take blame for it. The demonslayer was the only one he wanted. And now she knows it too.

The hanyou congratulated himself for going after Sango and letting her know what he thought of her. And the fact that she didn't reject him made the situation that much sweeter. A smile settled onto his face. The other male in the group noticed.

"Care to share why you are smiling, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, a smirk of his own playing on his lips. "I'm sure we could all use a good laugh."

Everyone turned to look at him, but all he saw were the dark eyes that penetrated into his own. He shrugged. "Just in a good mood, that's all."

He could see her face redden a bit before she turned back around. He chuckled under his breath. He loved it when she blushed. And he knew she was blushing just for him.

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**AN:** Awww. That's cute. Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! I hope today brings something good for you :)


	5. Contempt

**AN: **Here's Inuyasha view of things. Review if you like.

**Blossom**

**Stage Five: **Contempt

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I need to get the monk away from her. He's always a step too close, his hands always wandering. His cheeks not burning nearly hard enough after she hits him. If _I_ have to put my hands on him, I'd slap the cheek off his face. And that's the minimum of what I'd do to him. He better be careful.

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Red and orange leaves crunched under their feet as they walked, the trees drifting leaves over their heads and settling onto their clothes. Sango picked a stray leaf from her hair and tossed it to the ground just as another settled into her dark locks. Inuyasha heard her moving behind him, and through his peripherals, he watched her cleanse her hair of the crispy leaves. He wanted to turn around and help her, but Kagome's request brought his attention to her.

"Inuyasha, can you reach the leaf that's stuck in my hair?"

He turned and looked her crown over. He sighed. "I don't see anything."

The miko lowered her head and swooped her hair across her shoulder, revealing the back of her neck. "It's back there somewhere. It's scratching my neck and it hurts. Please take it out."

He sighed again and carefully poked through the strands to locate the offender. He seized it and tossed it away. "I can't figure how you got a leaf there to begin with."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Inuyasha. It just happened."

He ignored her last comment to slow his walking and allow Sango and Miroku to catch up. He noticed that Miroku started to lag behind to group to walk next to Sango. The demon slayer usually brought up the rear to prevent attacks from behind them, but lately, she's been having company back there. Once they all came into the same stride, Miroku asked, "Sango, do you need help in removing these bothersome blades from your hair? You seem to be a magnet for them today!"

"Oh... sure," she said, throwing another one to the ground. She didn't notice that Inuyasha was walking next to her, leaving her in between him and Miroku. "See if you can get all of it. I feel them, but can't see them."

"Of course," he nodded, placing his staff in his outward hand as he used the other to assist. It only took a moment or two before his hand moved from her hair to her slayer uniform, brushing off crushed remnants of the autumn surrounding them. She immediately froze once he did this, and his careful swipe across her backside prompted her to speak.

"What are you doing?"

He stopped and looked into her face, his violet eyes twinkling with innocence. "Helping you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You just be careful where you put your hands. I'm not in the mood for your perversions."

He nodded, then continued to brush her off.

Another careful swipe across her backside caused her to step sideways, knocking into Inuyasha. She gasped at the unexpected contact, but Inuyasha caught her before she fell. She looked up at him and was immediately confused. She apologized, then stood on her own. "I didn't know you were next to me."

"It's okay," he assured her, fighting back a smile. She knew he was too. "Why don't you go on ahead and walk with Kagome for a while? I want to talk to Miroku for a minute."

"All right," she agreed, signaling for Kirara to follow her. They broke into a jog to meet Kagome and Shippo, who were quite a bit ahead of them.

Once he was sure Sango was out of earshot, Inuyasha moved his gaze to Miroku. They stopped walking. "Now, I want you to listen to me real good. Are you paying attention?"

Miroku gulped. Whenever Inuyasha wanted to talk to someone when the girls weren't around, it wasn't a good indication of what he was going to say. Surprisingly enough, the demon didn't like threatening someone in front of them. When in battle, a different story. But on a personal level, he'd prefer if the females weren't around. This was one of those times. "Yeah. I'm listening."

"Good. Now, if you ever put your hands on Sango like that again, then we're going to have a problem."

Afraid to ask a question, the monk decided to go for it anyway. "I don't mean anything by it, she knows that. So why are you so concerned about it now?"

Bright eyes narrowed at him. "Because I don't like it when you touch her like that. So here are your choices: One, you can keep your hands to yourself and you'll get to stay with us. Two, you can keep doing what you're doing and you'll be on your own to face Naraku. And you know he's not very delicate with stupid houshis who are wandering around the forests alone. And that's assuming I don't hurt you first before I leave you stranded out here. Understand?"

Miroku gulped again. It doesn't take much for Inuyasha to strike fear into the heart of a human. He had to wait a moment for his tongue to start working again. "...I understand."

A fanged grin appeared on Inuyasha's face. "Good. I'm glad we had this little talk. So I won't hear anymore slaps across your face, right?"

Gulp. "If you do, it won't be because of Sango."

"..."

"Or Kagome either."

"Good. Let's go. I bet the girls are wondering where we are."

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**AN:** It appears that Inuyasha is protecting his investment. A certain guy better watch out before this situation becomes fatal. Review if you like. One more thing, I'm still looking for people to join an Inuyasha/Sango community on LiveJournal. Or just people to add as friends and share my other writings with. If anyone's interested, hit me up at .com/ :)


	6. Obvious

**AN: **This one is a bit longer than the other ones. I had a little trouble writing this one, and I still don't think it came out right. But I didn't do too much damage going into the next stage, so I should be fine. Review if you like.

**Blossom**

**Stage Six: **Obvious

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There's no hiding it now. We both know our feelings for each other. But how long can we hide it from the others?

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"Ah, there's the fire!" Kagome exclaimed, clapping her hands together in triumph. She had finally learned to build a fire without anyone else's help. She was quite proud of herself; she felt like building a hundred more fires to surround the first one. "Did you see it, Inuyasha?"

"Mmmhmm," he replied, glancing up at her from his current task of sharpening his Tetsusaiga. "Sure."

The girl rose to her feet and pouted, folding her arms over her chest. "Fine. Don't care. But you'll be happy enough when I use that fire to cook your food!"

"Don't worry about him, Kagome," Miroku soothed, reaching out to pat her shoulder. He could feel eyes burning into the back of his head, so he let his hand drop. "I-I'm sure he's proud of you."

"Of course he is," Sango chimed in, kneeling next to Kirara to retrieve her small blades. She found them and sat next to Inuyasha. "And I'm happy for you too."

Kagome smiled wide. "Thank you Sango. At least _someone_ appreciates me."

Inuyasha looked up at her, annoyed. He was becoming tired of the whiny girl. She always wanted attention that he wasn't willing to give. "We all appreciate you. There-- will you let it drop now?"

She giggled. "Thank you. That's all I wanted."

He rolled his eyes as the miko walked away and resumed sharpening his sword. He glanced over at Sango, who sat next to him and started to sharpen her blades too. He scanned the camp to make sure Miroku and Kagome were out of earshot before he whispered, "she is getting on my nerves. If she doesn't leave me alone, I swear --"

Sango gave him a stern look. "Don't talk about Kagome like that. She just wants you to notice when she does something. Clearly she was happy about doing something by herself. You could at least be sincere about congratulating her."

He shook his head. "Why would I congratulate her? Everyone else can make a fire and she's _just now_ learning how to do it. She relies on the rest of us to take care of her just because she can purify demons."

"But that's important."

"We could just kill them and it'd be the same thing. Either way the demon would die. So do we really need her for anything?"

She dropped her blades and balled her fists. "Don't talk like that! We need Kagome here, and just because you don't have feelings for her anymore doesn't mean you can say whatever you want!"

Quickly, he reached out and placed a hand over a shaking fist. "Calm down. I'm not suggesting anything. I'm not saying that she should leave. All I'm saying is that she needs to learn to pull her weight, that's all. Take a breath."

Her glare lingered on his face for a second longer and then she relaxed her hands. "You should have just said that to begin with."

He laughed as he removed his hand to finish his activity. "Probably. But to change the subject, I was thinking that maybe you would like to walk up front with me from now on."

"Why? Is Miroku involved somehow?"

He shook his head and lied. "No, not at all. I just want you up front with me. Let Kagome walk with Mr. Hands."

"I knew it!" she hissed, still trying to keep her voice low. "I knew that you told him _something_ today. So you want me to walk with you so he won't touch me. Is that it?"

He paused to look at her. He grinned. "That's not the only reason."

She immediately turned away from him, face burning. "We can't be hanging around too much together, you know. The others might start suspecting something is going on."

He sighed. "Fine. But I don't want to wait too much longer. I want to tell Kagome now and get her off my back."

"You can't tell her now! Trust me; doing it now will be too early."

"If you say so..."

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"What do you think they're talking about?" Kagome whispered to Miroku from the other side of the campsite.

He shrugged. "I have no idea. But I'm sure it's about killing demons or something like that. It seems to be all they ever talk about."

She rested her chin on her drawn up knees. "I bet their conversations are more heartfelt than the ones he has with me. He acts like he doesn't ever want to talk to me."

Miroku took a seat next to his lamenting friend. "I really don't know what to tell you. Maybe Inuyasha's just going through something right now."

Kagome continued to watch the pair talking and gasped when she saw the hanyou touch her friend's hand. "What the hell is he doing?"

Miroku followed her gaze and his mouth dropped open. "What the hell is he doing? Why didn't she hit him?"

"Exactly! And why is he laughing? He never laughs when he talks to me!"

"And she's blushing... what could they possibly be talking about?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to go find out!" Kagome growled through clenched teeth. She started to stand until Miroku stopped her. "What?"

He rubbed his chin. "It all makes sense now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Earlier today," he continued, tapping his chin now. "Sango slapped me, and then Inuyasha wanted to talk to me alone. So he sent Sango to walk with you and ... we talked."

Kagome looked at him curiously. "What did he say?"

He gulped. Just _thinking_ about it made him shiver. "He told me that if I ever touched Sango again, then he'd kick me out of the group and let Naraku find me. At first I didn't understand why he was so mad, but now it makes sense..."

"You don't think that Inuyasha and Sango are...?"

He gave her a grave nod. His usually vibrant violet eyes were tinged with grey. She could tell his realization had been developing within himself for a while, and his conclusion was one he didn't want to draw. "I do. I mean, why else would he threaten me like that? He never cared before."

The miko shook her head, her hair flying everywhere. "I won't accept this! Sango wouldn't betray me like this! She's my best friend."

"..."

Her eyes watered over and a pair of tears fell from them. She sniffed, "they are, aren't they?"

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**AN: **Aww... Kagome's in pain. She'll find someone... eventually. Review if you like.


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